CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Any place can call itself an Irish pub. A lot of them do. But there's more to it than serving Guinness and a hanging a leprechaun in the corner.

It's about conversation over a pint in a homey nook. A certain spirit. And doing more with less.

Raise a pint and say slainte to Gormley's Pub...

The just-opened spot -- 19500 Center Ridge Road, Rocky River -- is the epitome of the small, comfortable pub. It's a mere 1,000 square feet and feels like you just walked into someone's house. And even though it opened last week, it also feels many years older, thanks to its location -- a former general store from 1914.

That and the vintage woodwork makes Gormley's feel like some old place you might find in Ireland. Er, make that Northern Ireland... the home of co-owner Sean Gormley.

"I wanted a place that reminded me of a place back home in Derry," says Gormley, who moved to America from Northern Ireland in 1985. "There are a lot of pubs located in houses there that are small, but play a big part in the cultural life of the city."

Pubs have long played a vital role in Derry - to bring people together over a pint, yes, but also to discuss and debate politics and protest. Derry, you see, has long been the scene of political turmoil and violence between Irish republicans and Unionists. It was also the home of Martin McGuiness, the IRA leader turned politician who passed away on March 21.

A mural covering a wall in Gormley's depicts the city, including the site of the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1972 and graffiti that states "BRITS OUT!" and denounces the Royal Ulster Constabulary that policed Northern Ireland.

Ah, but Derry is also the home of the Undertones, the great band known for penning one of rock 'n' roll's all-time classic, "Teenage Kicks."

"I love the Undertones and I follow the politics intensely, but Gormley's is a laid-back, friendly place," says Gormley. By the way, he's also a singer and imagines hitting the small stage in the pub if the pints come a-coaxing.

Gromley is also a barber, er, specifically, the owner of Irish Barber - a barber shop located next to Gormley's that opened in 2002.

"We had a little pub in this building and we were just doing beer and wine," says Gormley. That is, until he partnered up with co-owner Joe Rodgers (formerly of Parnell's in Playhouse Square) to expand it into a full-on pub, with booze.